Amit Shah buzz grows

RADHIKA RAMASESHAN

Amit Shah

New Delhi, June 25: The process for installing the next BJP president, who will replace home minister Rajnath Singh, started this evening when Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath met for talks after the cabinet meeting.

A “consensus” is emerging within the BJP around Amit Shah, Prime Minister Modi’s closest political confidant and the general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, sources said.

Earlier, two other names were also doing the rounds — that of general secretary J.P. Nadda and vice-president Om Mathur. As the Gujarat minder, Mathur had developed a rapport with Modi and Shah.

For “form’s sake”, the BJP is expected to go through the drill of holding internal discussions at various levels and then of “consulting” the RSS seniors.

The interaction with the RSS brass is expected in early July at the earliest. The Sangh leaders will hold a meeting of their working committee at Mohankheda in Madhya Pradesh and possibly discuss the appointment of the next BJP president informally in a small group.

Rajnath’s successor’s name will get the last seal of ratification from the BJP’s parliamentary board before it is announced.

Shah has kept a low profile since the buzz around his elevation to the party’s top post started. He appears preoccupied in getting the act together in Uttar Pradesh for 13 by-elections, including one to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat vacated by Mulayam Singh Yadav who contested from two seats and has chosen to retain Azamgarh.